What is a Creative Brief and why use them?

A creative brief is a document used by creative professionals and agencies to develop creative deliverables: visual design, copy, advertising, web sites, etc. The document is usually developed by the requestor (in most cases a marketing team member) and approved by the creative team of designers, writers, and project managers. In some cases, the project’s creative brief may need creative director approval before work will commence. Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_brief

The areas we recommend are included within the biref - and the areas we ensure are comprehensively covered when we send out a brief to a designer, copywriter etc are:

1. Project Outline

This needs to be a complete description of the task involved - whether its to design a logo or copy for a web site, there is no difference.

2. Background on the product and/or company

The copywriter or designer will not usually be as confident in the background of the product they are writing about or the company that they are designing a web site for. It is all too easy to assume that they have an in-depth knowledge which he or she does not have.

So it’s important that the writer is given “too much” background information on the client and the product or service being written about - it is better to be looking at information than looking for it.

3. Audience

Who is the copywriter writing for, who will be reading the copy - are they expected to have a large vocabulary or does the copy need to be clear, concise and simple to understand.  Is the site your designer is designing for aimed at teenagers or 40+ executives - the design will be significantly different.

The fastest way to undermine the ability of a copywriter to do a good job is to deprive him or her of a crystal clear image of the target audience.

4. Principal purpose of the copy/design

Again, this is extremely important. Many a well-written piece of advertising has failed to deliver, simply because the writer was never given a clear view of what that “deliverable” really was.

What is the principal purpose of this email, web page, newsletter?

The more precisely this question can be answered, the better the copywriter or designer will be able to write/design a clear, sharp communication that stays on purpose from the first word to the last.

5. Timeline

Great copy or a stunning design cannot be written/designed in an hour or two. The assimilation of background information, a growing understanding of the audience at the individual level and the process of writing itself is a creative process when done well. It takes time.

The first draft/mockup is never the best draft/mockup. Nor the second. As a result, copywriters/designers need to be given sufficient warning of an upcoming job and be provided with enough time to do the job well - something we are all guilty of failing to do at some time or other!